Lee says he is undecided on return to USC

LOS ANGELES – Marqise Lee won’t hear his name called Saturday, won’t get the honor of running through the Coliseum tunnel. There is no Senior Day for juniors, even those presumed to be headed to the NFL.

Then again, is Lee leaving USC? That’s been the long-held presumption, that Lee, last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s top receiver, would skip his senior season and turn pro.

That’s still a good bet, but on Tuesday, nearing the end of what has been a frustrating, injury-filled season, Lee cast doubt on whether he would declare for April’s NFL draft.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Lee said. “I haven’t sat down and thought about it. I haven’t talked to my mom and dad about it. They haven’t brought it up, surprisingly. We just want to finish off this season.”

Lee, who didn’t play last week against Colorado because of a knee injury, a shin injury or a combination of the two, is expected to play Saturday against UCLA in what could be his final home game.

UCLA coach Jim Mora seems to be a fan, as he compared Lee to longtime great NFL receiver Marvin Harrison on Tuesday. It certainly hasn’t been a star-studded junior year for Lee, who has missed three full games and parts of two others because of injuries. He has 44 catches for 604 yards and two touchdowns.

Lee returned to full practice Tuesday for the first time in more than a week.

“He didn’t look like he had many restrictions,” interim coach Ed Orgeron said. “Hopefully he’s going to be fine. I think he’s going to be fine. Obviously that’s a nagging injury, and you never can tell how it’s going to last throughout the game. He’s not 100 percent, but I know he’s going to give us as much as he has.”

Then there’s the NFL. Draft-eligible juniors must decide by mid-January whether to declare. Orgeron said he will meet with those players’ parents next week and “see what is best for them.’’ That list will likely include Lee, defensive backs Dion Bailey and Josh Shaw and linebacker Hayes Pullard.

Before this season, Lee’s parents took out an insurance policy that will carry over to next season if Lee returns to USC. Still, this could be his last game at the Coliseum, but he said he hasn’t put much thought into that.

“I don’t know what I’m going to decide,” Lee said, “so 20 percent of me will be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to miss it,’ but then 80 percent will be like, ‘Well, you can still come back.’”

INJURY UPDATE

USC tailback Silas Redd is listed as questionable for Saturday, according to Orgeron. Redd has missed the previous two games because of a knee injury, and at least one teammate doesn’t think Redd will play.

“Hopefully by the bowl game, he will be back,” tailback Tre Madden said. “We’re definitely going to play this one for him. This is his last home game. It’s going to be excited.”

Orgeron had no other players on his injury list. Fullback Soma Vainuku didn’t practice and said he had been dealing with back pain but said he would return to practice Wednesday. Cornerback Kevon Seymour, who hurt his ribs last week against Colorado, practiced.

PACKED HOUSE

A limited number of tickets remain for Saturday’s game, but the Coliseum is expected to draw its second consecutive crowd of more than 90,000.

USC quarterback Cody Kessler said he believes the crowd atmosphere will rival the one from two weeks ago, when a sellout crowd watched USC upset Stanford.

“I think so, with (USC and UCLA) being so close together,” Kessler said. “It will probably be split right down the middle. It will be fun. I’m excited, especially to be at home.”